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Masato Hirata

Publications and source records attributed to Masato Hirata.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Binding of 14-3-3beta but not 14-3-3sigma controls the cytoplasmic localization of CDC25B: binding site preferences of 14-3-3 subtypes and the subcellular localization of CDC25B.

The dual specificity phosphatase CDC25B positively controls the G2-M transition by activating CDK1/cyclin B. The binding of 14-3-3 to CDC25B has been shown to regulate the subcellular redistribution of CDC25B from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and may be correlated with the G2 checkpoint. We used a FLAG-tagged version of CDC25B to study the differences among the binding sites for the 14-3-3 subtypes, 14-3-3beta, 14-3-3epsilon and 14-3-3sigma, and the relationship between subtype binding and the subcellular localization of CDC25B. All three subtypes were found to bind to CDC25B. Site-directed mutagenesis studies revealed that 14-3-3beta bound exclusively near serine-309 of CDC25B1, which is within a potential consensus motif for 14-3-3 binding. By contrast, 14-3-3sigma bound preferentially to a site around serine-216, and the presence of serine-137 and -309 enhanced the binding. In addition to these binding-site differences, we found that the binding of 14-3-3beta drove CDC25B to the cytoplasm and that mutation of serine-309 to alanine completely abolished the cytoplasmic localization of CDC25B. However, co-expression of 14-3-3sigma and CDC25B did not affect the subcellular localization of CDC25B. Furthermore, serine-309 of CDC25B was sufficient to produce its cytoplasmic distribution with co-expression of 14-3-3beta, even when other putative 14-3-3 binding sites were mutated. 14-3-3epsilon resembled 14-3-3beta with regard to its binding to CDC25B and the control of CDC25B subcellular localization. The results of the present study indicate that two 14-3-3 subtypes can control the subcellular localization of CDC25B by binding to a specific site and that 14-3-3sigma has effects on CDC25B other than the control of its subcellular localization.

14-3-3 Proteins↗

Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta is tyrosine-phosphorylated by MEK1 in human skin fibroblasts.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) can be associated with several proteins in cell. We analyzed the immunoprecipitates by an anti-GSK-3beta antibody from cell lysate of human fibroblasts and found that this protein was co-precipitated with mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1/2). U0126, a MEK1/2 inhibitor, inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation of GSK-3beta, suggesting that MEK1/2 was involved in the phosphorylation of Tyr(216) in GSK-3beta. In vitro kinase assay was carried out using a recombinant human active MEK1 and we found that GSK-3beta was phosphorylated on Tyr(216) by this kinase in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further, the pretreatment of fibroblasts with U0126 inhibited serum-induced nuclear translocation of GSK-3beta. These results suggested that MEK1/2 induces tyrosine phosphorylation of GSK-3beta and this cellular event might induce nuclear translocation of GSK-3beta. This is the first report to suggest that MEK1/2 phosphorylates not only ERK1/2 but also GSK-3beta.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

Nuclear export signal in CDC25B.

CDC25B is a dual-specificity phosphatase that activates CDK1/cyclin B. The nuclear exclusion of CDC25B is controlled by the binding of 14-3-3 to the nuclear export signal (NES) of CDC25B, which was reported to be amino acids H28 to L40 in the N-terminal region of CDC25B. In studying the subcellular localization of CDC25B, we found a functional NES at V52 to L65, the sequence of which is VTTLTQTMHDLAGL, where bold letters are leucine or hydrophobic amino acids frequently seen in an NES. The deletion of this NES sequence caused the mutant protein to locate exclusively in nuclei, while NES-fused GFP was detected in the cytoplasm. Moreover, the introduction of point mutations at some of the critical amino acids impaired cytoplasmic localization. Treatment with leptomycin B, a potent inhibitor of CRM1/exportin1, disrupted the cytoplasmic localization of both Flag-tagged CDC25B and NES-fused GFP. From these results, we concluded that the sequence we found is a bona fide NES of CDC25B.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

[The life cycle of the GABA(A) receptor and its regulating molecules].

Gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A)) receptors mediate most of the fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the central nervous system. These ligand-gated ion channels are crucial in the control of cell and network activity. Therefore, modulating their function or cell surface stability will have major consequences for neuronal excitation. This review highlights recent findings on the regulation of GABA(A)-receptor expression and function, focusing on the mechanisms of sorting, targeting, synaptic clustering, and endocytic events of GABA(A) receptors, all which are regulated by their associated proteins. Now these topics are an area of active interest in studies on inhibitory neurotransmission.

Animals↗

The importance to chondrocyte differentiation of changes in expression of the multiple inositol polyphosphate phosphatase.

It is important to both physiological and pathological osteogenesis to understand the significance of changes in gene expression in growth-plate chondrocytes that transit between the proliferative and hypertrophic states. MINPP is one such gene of interest. The Minpp protein dephosphorylates highly phosphorylated inositol signaling molecules InsP(5) and InsP(6). We show here that the ATDC5 chondrocyte progenitor cell line can recapitulate developmentally specific changes in MINPP expression previously only seen in longitudinal bone growth plates-both an initial 2-3-fold increase and a subsequent decrease back to initial levels during transition to hypertrophy. The increase in MINPP expression was accompanied by a 40% decrease in InsP(6) levels in ATDC5 cells. However, InsP(5) levels were not modified. Furthermore, throughout the hypertrophic phase, during which MINPP expression decreased, there were no alterations in InsP(5) and InsP(6) levels. We also created an ATDC5 line that stably overexpressed Minpp at 2-fold higher levels than in wild-type cells. This had no significant effect upon cellular levels of InsP(5) and InsP(6). Thus, substantial changes in MINPP expression can occur without a net effect upon InsP(5) and InsP(6) turnover in vivo. On the other hand, Minpp-overexpressing cells showed impaired chondrogenesis. We noted that the expression of alkaline phosphatase activity was inversely correlated with the expression of MINPP. The ATDC5 cells that overexpress Minpp failed to show an insulin-dependent increase in alkaline phosphatase levels, which presumably affects phosphate balance [J. Biol. Chem. 276 (2001) 33995], and may be the reason cellular differentiation was impaired. In any case, we conclude that Minpp is important to chondrocyte differentiation, but in a manner that is, surprisingly, independent of inositol polyphosphate turnover.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Immunodominance of conformation-dependent B-cell epitopes of protein antigens.

Immunodominance of conformational epitopes over linear ones in four proteins was quantified making use of the B-cell hybridoma technology. The proteins were immunized in their native forms into BALB/c mice, and clonal frequencies of B-cell hybridomas that produce antibodies to the native and denatured forms were determined, using ELISA and immunoblotting. All 16 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to Porphyromonas gingivalis fimbria were suggested to recognize conformational epitopes expressed by the oligomer. Ten out of 14 mAbs to Serratia marcescens fimbria and 13 of 15 mAbs to hen lysozyme were also specific to their conformational epitopes. In contrast, all 18 mAbs to a surface protein of Streptococcus mutans, termed PAc, reacted to both the native and denatured forms, thereby indicating the immunodominance of linear epitopes in this protein. The results suggest that B-cell epitopes of proteins possessing stable tertiary or quaternary structures are predominantly expressed by the higher-order structures.

Animals↗

A rapid increase in the total number of cell surface functional GABAA receptors induced by brain-derived neurotrophic factor in rat visual cortex.

The number of postsynaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors is a fundamental determinant of the variability of inhibitory synaptic responses in the central nervous system. In rat visual cortex, [3H]SR-95531 binding assays revealed that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), one of the neurotrophins, induced a rapid increase in the total number of cell surface GABAA receptors, through the activation of Trk B receptor tyrosine kinases. We also demonstrated that BDNF rapidly induced a sustained potentiation of GABAA receptor-mediated currents, using nystatin-perforated patch clamp recordings, in visual cortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons freshly isolated from P14 rats. The potentiation was caused by the activation of Trk B receptor tyrosine kinase and phospholipase C-gamma. In addition, intracellular Ca2+ was important for the potentiation of GABAA responses induced by BDNF. The selective increase in mean miniature inhibitory postsynaptic (mIPSC) current amplitude without effects on mIPSC time courses supports the idea that BDNF rapidly induces an increase in the total number of cell surface functional GABAA receptors in visual cortical pyramidal neurons. These results suggest that BDNF could alter the number of cell surface GABAA receptors in a region-specific manner.

Animals↗

Loss of p53 induces M-phase retardation following G2 DNA damage checkpoint abrogation.

Most cell lines that lack functional p53 protein are arrested in the G2 phase of the cell cycle due to DNA damage. When the G2 checkpoint is abrogated, these cells are forced into mitotic catastrophe. A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells, in which p53 was eliminated with the HPV16 E6 gene, exhibited efficient arrest in the G2 phase when treated with adriamycin. Administration of caffeine to G2-arrested cells induced a drastic change in cell phenotype, the nature of which depended on the status of p53. Flow cytometric and microscopic observations revealed that cells that either contained or lacked p53 resumed their cell cycles and entered mitosis upon caffeine treatment. However, transit to the M phase was slower in p53-negative cells than in p53-positive cells. Consistent with these observations, CDK1 activity was maintained at high levels, along with stable cyclin B1, in p53-negative cells. The addition of butyrolactone I, which is an inhibitor of CDK1 and CDK2, to the p53-negative cells reduced the floating round cell population and induced the disappearance of cyclin B1. These results suggest a relationship between the p53 pathway and the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of mitotic cyclins and possible cross-talk between the G2-DNA damage checkpoint and the mitotic checkpoint.

4-Butyrolactone↗

Dictyostelium differentiation-inducing factor-3 activates glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and degrades cyclin D1 in mammalian cells.

In search of chemical substances applicable for the treatment of cancer and other proliferative disorders, we studied the signal transduction of Dictyostelium differentiation-inducing factors (DIFs) in mammalian cells mainly using HeLa cells. Although DIF-1 and DIF-3 both strongly inhibited cell proliferation by inducing G(0)/G(1) arrest, DIF-3 was more effective than DIF-1. DIF-3 suppressed cyclin D1 expression at both mRNA and protein levels, whereas the overexpression of cyclin D1 overrode DIF-3-induced cell cycle arrest. The DIF-3-induced decrease in the amount of cyclin D1 protein preceded the reduction in the level of cyclin D1 mRNA. The decrease in cyclin D1 protein seemed to be caused by accelerated proteolysis, since it was abrogated by N-acetyl-Leu-Leu-norleucinal, a proteasome inhibitor. DIF-3-induced degradation of cyclin D1 was also prevented by treatment with lithium chloride, an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), suggesting that DIF-3 induced cyclin D1 proteolysis through the activation of GSK-3beta. Indeed, DIF-3 dephosphorylated Ser(9) and phosphorylated tyrosine on GSK-3beta, and it stimulated GSK-3beta activity in an in vitro kinase assay. Moreover, DIF-3 was revealed to induce the nuclear translocation of GSK-3beta by immunofluorescent microscopy and immunoblotting of subcellular protein fractions. These results suggested that DIF-3 activates GSK-3beta to accelerate the proteolysis of cyclin D1 and that this mechanism is involved in the DIF-3-induced G(0)/G(1) arrest in mammalian cells.

Animals↗

Molecules interacting with PRIP-2, a novel Ins(1,4,5)P3 binding protein type 2: Comparison with PRIP-1.

A family of phospholipase C-related, catalytically inactive proteins (designated PRIP) have been identified as a group of novel inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate binding proteins with a domain organization similar to phospholipase C-delta but lacking the enzymatic activity. The PRIP family consists of at least two types of proteins (PRIP-1 and PRIP-2 subfamilies). In the present study, we examined the tissue distribution of PRIP-2, its expression in rat brain at the mRNA level, and the characteristics of its binding to inositol compounds, protein phosphatase 1, and gamma-amino butyric acid receptor associated protein. We also compared these characteristics with those of PRIP-1. Northern blot analysis and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that PRIP-1 was present mainly in the brain, whereas PRIP-2 was expressed ubiquitously. In situ hybridization studies using rat brain revealed that the mRNA for both PRIP-1 and PRIP-2 was similarly expressed; it was detected in the granular cell and Purkinje cell layers in the cerebellum, and in the hippocampal pyramidal cells, dentate granule cells, and pyramidal and/or granule cells of the cerebral cortex in the cerebrum. PRIP-2 bound inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and its parent lipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, with a similar affinity, while PRIP-1 preferentially bound the former ligand by about 10-fold. PRIP-1 and PRIP-2 interacted with protein phosphatase 1 and gamma-amino butyric acid receptor associated protein in a similar manner. These results indicate that, similar to PRIP-1, PRIP-2 may be involved in both inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-mediated and gamma-amino butyric acid-related signaling.

Animals↗

Phospholipase D2 directly interacts with aldolase via Its PH domain.

Mammalian phospholipase D (PLD) has been implicated in the cellular signal transduction pathways leading to diverse physiological events and known to be regulated by many cellular factors. To identify the proteins that interact with PLD, we performed a protein overlay assay with fractions obtained from the sequential column chromatographic separation of rat brain cytosol using purified PLD2 as a probe. A protein of molecular mass 40 kDa, which was detected by anti-PLD antibody with overlaying of the purified PLD2, is shown to be aldolase C by peptide-mass fingerprinting with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Aldolase A also showed similar binding properties as aldolase C and was co-immunoprecipitated with PLD2 in COS-7 cells overexpressing PLD2 and aldolase A. The PH domain corresponding to amino acids 201-310 of PLD2 was necessary for the interaction observed in vitro, and aldolase A was found to interact with the PH domain of PLD2 specifically, but not with other PH domains. PLD2 activity was inhibited by the presence of purified aldolase A in a dose-dependent manner, and the inhibition by 50% was observed by the addition of less than micromolar aldolase A. Moreover, the inclusion of the aldolase metabolites fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (F-1,6-P) or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate (G-3-P) resulted in an enhanced interaction between PLD2 and aldolase A with a concomitant increase in the potential ability of aldolase A to inhibit PLD2, which suggests the existence of a possible regulation of the interaction by the change of intracellular concentrations of glycolytic metabolites.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Role of the PLC-related, catalytically inactive protein p130 in GABA(A) receptor function.

The protein p130 was isolated from rat brain as an inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-binding protein with a domain organization similar to that of phospholipase C-delta1 but lacking PLC activity. We show that p130 plays an important role in signaling by the type A receptor for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Yeast twohybrid screening identified GABARAP (GABA(A) receptor-associated protein), which is proposed to contribute to the sorting, targeting or clustering of GABA(A) receptors, as a protein that interacts with p130. Furthermore, p130 competitively inhibited the binding of the gamma2 subunit of the GABA(A) receptor to GABARAP in vitro. Electrophysiological analysis revealed that the modulation of GABA-induced Cl- current by Zn2+ or diazepam, both of which act at GABA(A) receptors containing gamma subunits, is impaired in hippocampal neurons of p130 knockout mice. Moreover, behavioral analysis revealed that motor coordination was impaired and the intraperitoneal injection of diazepam induced markedly reduced sedative and antianxiety effects in the mutant mice. These results indicate that p130 is essential for the function of GABA(A) receptors, especially in response to the agents acting on a gamma2 subunit.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

TNF inhibited the apoptosis by activation of Akt serine/threonine kinase in the human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is known to induce apoptosis, but recently, TNF was shown to promote cell survival, a process regulated by phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI3K) and the NFkappaB pathway. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the molecules implicated in regulating TNF-induced cell survival and apoptosis induced by TNF in a human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell line (SAS), with special reference to the Akt pathway, one of the pathways related to cell survival. In SAS cells, TNF induced the phosphorylation of Akt at both Ser473 and Thr308, causing the activation of Akt, and also induced the phosphorylation and degradation of IkappaB (inhibitor of NFkappaB). This phosphorylation and degradation was inhibited by pretreating the cells with the PI3K inhibitors, wortmannin or LY294002. The apoptosis of SAS cells induced by TNF was dependent on the concentration: a high concentration of TNF, but not a low concentration, induced apoptosis within 30 h. However, a low concentration of TNF in the presence of wortmannin or LY294002 induced apoptosis. Furthermore, expression of the kinase-negative form of Akt, IKKalpha or IKKbeta, and the undegradable mutant of IkappaB, also induced apoptosis at low concentrations of TNF. When the SAS cells expressed constitutively activated Akt, apoptosis was not induced, even by high concentrations of TNF. These observations suggest that, in the SAS cell line, the PI3K-NFkappaB pathway contributes to TNF-induced cell survival and that inhibition of this pathway accelerates apoptosis.

Apoptosis↗

Inositol hexakisphosphate blocks tumor cell growth by activating apoptotic machinery as well as by inhibiting the Akt/NFkappaB-mediated cell survival pathway.

It has been reported that inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP(6), phytic acid), a natural product, has an anticancer role. However, there is inadequate information regarding the mechanism by which InsP(6) exerts anticancer actions, and the effect requires relatively high concentration of the agent, both of which hinders the usage of InsP(6) as an anticancer drug. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which InsP(6) acts as an anticancer agent, and tried to reduce the concentration of effective InsP(6). Treatment of HeLa cells with InsP(6) at 1 mM induced apoptosis, as assessed by counting the cell number, and by Hoechst and TUNEL staining. This is probably mediated by intracellular InsP(6) itself and/or the dephosphorylated forms of metabolized InsP(6), because incubation of HeLa cells with [(3)H]InsP(6) produces dephosphorylated forms such as InsP(4) and InsP(5). Induction of apoptosis by InsP(6) was examined in two ways: inhibition of cell survival signaling and direct induction of apoptosis. Treatment of HeLa cells with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or insulin stimulated the Akt-nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) pathway, a cell survival signal, which involves the phosphorylation of Akt and IkappaB, nuclear translocation of NFkappaB and NFkappaB-luciferase transcription activity. InsP(6) blocked all these cellular events, but phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity was not affected. As well as inhibiting the Akt-NFkappaB pathway, InsP(6) itself caused mitochondrial permeabilization, followed by cytochrome c release, which later caused activation of the apoptotic machinery, caspase 9, caspase 3 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. When InsP(6) was applied together with histone, the effective concentration to induce apoptosis was approximately 10-fold lower. These results revealed that extracellularly applied InsP(6) directly activates the apoptotic machinery as well as inhibits the cell survival signaling, probably by the intracellular delivery followed by a dephosphorylation.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

[The analysis of protein-protein interaction with special reference to PRIP-1].

Analysis of protein-protein interaction is one of the powerful methods for elucidating the new functions of functionally unknown proteins. Using this approach, we isolated two proteins interacting with PRIP-1, which was isolated as a new Ins(1,4,5) P3 binding protein from brain. One was protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1c) and the other was GABARAP (GABAA-receptor-associated protein). The region of PRIP-1 responsible for their interaction was the site preceding to the pleckstrin homology domain of PRIP-1 for PP1c and the EF-hand motifs of PRIP-1 for GABARAP, which were determined by beta-galactosidase assay of yeast two-hybrid system. The association between PRIP-1 and PP1c was confirmed in vitro by a pull-down assay, a far-western assay, an immunoprecipitation analysis and a surface plasmon resonance analysis. The interaction of PRIP-1 with PP1c resulted in inhibition of the catalytic activity of PP1c in a PRIP-1 concentration-dependent manner. The association between PRIP-1 and GABARAP was also confirmed by a pull-down assay, and we found that PRIP-1 competitively inhibited the binding of the gamma 2 subunit of the GABAA receptor to GABARAP in vitro. Our electrophysiological and behavioral analysis of PRIP-1 knockout mice revealed that PRIP-1 is essential for the function of GABAA receptors, especially in response to the agents acting on the gamma 2 subunit.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗